Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention relate to making payments using a near field communication device. In one aspect, embodiments of the present invention relate to preventing eavesdropping of near field communication.
Description of the Related Art
Mobile communication systems continue to grow in popularity and have become an integral part of both personal and business communications. Various mobile devices now incorporate Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) features such as calendars, address books, task lists, calculators, memo and writing programs, media players, games, etc. These multi-function devices usually allow users to send and receive electronic mail (email) messages wirelessly and access the internet via a cellular network and/or a wireless local area network (WLAN), for example.
Some mobile devices incorporate contactless card technology and/or Near Field Communication (“NFC”) chips. Near Field Communications technology is commonly used for contactless short-range communications based on radio frequency identification (RFID) standards, using magnetic field induction to enable communication between electronic devices, including mobile wireless communications devices. These short-range communications include payment and ticketing, electronic keys, identification, device set-up service and similar information sharing. This short-range high frequency wireless communications technology exchanges data between devices over a short distance, such as only a few centimeters.
Personal data is stored on the NFC chip embedded in the mobile device. The stored data may be read by a reader when the mobile device is placed in close proximity to the reader. Electromagnetic energy emitted from the reader may power on and automatically transmit the stored data to the reader.
A potential problem exists with near field communications due to eavesdropping. Because the stored data is automatically transmitted, an attacker may obtain the stored data from the NFC chip using an unauthorized reader. There is, therefore, a need for apparatus and methods of preventing eavesdropping of data from the NFC chip.
Theft of credit/debit/prepaid card numbers from merchant repository is a problem in the industry. It would be desirable to allow customers to pay for goods and services to merchants without exposing their card number to the merchant. There is a need therefore, for apparatus and methods of making financial transactions without exposing the real card number.